Below are Ebird reports for July 28 and 30, and I think the difference is
striking, both in # of species and # of individuals. And perhaps even more
noticeable compared to previous reports.
The subject refers to the month of August, and is a saying I heard years
ago. And it's true. During August the woods are almost silent. For all but a
very few species the nesting season is over, the young are fledged and
many of the birds are actually already gone and headed south. I did see 2 B
Orioles Sunday, a juvie and an apparent female, the first in over three
weeks. And of course, the Gold Finches are just about in the middle of their
breeding season right now. But still, even at the end of July, some areas
that had been full of birds were seemingly empty, and in places there was
hardly a sound.
Of course the non-migratory species aren't going far, and Chickadees and
Titmice tend to be noisy anyway, so they are still noticeable now. And there
is still an occasional call by a Downy or a Pileated or a Red-bellied
Wood-pecker. And once in a while, even a Broad-winged Hawk, which will be
leaving shortly.
They don't make much noise but the Hummers are on the move too. Yesterday
I had an adult male in my yard, feeding at my bee-balm and never giving a
glance at the feeder in the middle of them.
Boston Hollow/Yale Forest, Windham, Connecticut, US
Jul 28, 2017 7:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.5 mile(s)
49 species
Great Blue Heron 1
Cooper's Hawk 1 Barlow Mill Rd, Ashford/Union line being mobbed by
chickadees
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 3 2 adults and fledgling
Red-tailed Hawk 1 intersection of BH and BM rds. being mobbed by
Jays.
Mourning Dove 5
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 5
Eastern Phoebe 8
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Blue-headed Vireo 14 there are always a lot in the area, but they had
been quiet lately, now much move vocal, presumably after their young have
fledged. However they seldom sing their full songs now, and don't seem to be
as loud sometimes.
Red-eyed Vireo 21
Blue Jay 20
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 6 Sitting on a wire on Kinney Hollow Rd. Obvious
migrants, since i seldom see any at all in the area. First this year.
Black-capped Chickadee 20
Tufted Titmouse 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Brown Creeper 1
Winter Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Veery 1
Hermit Thrush 11 7 singing, 4 in a family group foraging on Kinney
Hollow Rd. At least 2 were juveniles and dad flew off and began singing.
American Robin 15
Gray Catbird 12
Cedar Waxwing 6
Ovenbird 1
Worm-eating Warbler 1
Louisiana Waterthrush 1
Northern Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 8 including a family of 5
Magnolia Warbler 1
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 15
Canada Warbler 4 at least 1 juvenile singing
Chipping Sparrow 5
Song Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 5
Scarlet Tanager 3 All singing "tic bur" only
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 2 1 juvenile with adult
American Goldfinch 15 1 sitting on a nest that had been built and
used earlier by a pair of Am Redstarts, whose young only fledged 2 or 3 weeks
ago.
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S38384469
Boston Hollow/Yale Forest, Windham, Connecticut, US
Jul 30, 2017 8:20 AM - 12:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.5 mile(s)
33 species
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee 4
Eastern Phoebe 5 incl. 1 very young juvie
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Blue-headed Vireo 8
Red-eyed Vireo 14
Blue Jay 9
Tree Swallow 3
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 12
Tufted Titmouse 5
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
House Wren 1
Veery 1
Hermit Thrush 4
American Robin 8
Gray Catbird 10
Cedar Waxwing 4
Black-and-white Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 2
Pine Warbler 1
Canada Warbler 2 1 juvie
Chipping Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 1
Scarlet Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Baltimore Oriole 2 Big surprise - first in 3 weeks or more. 1 juvie
and one probable adult F - foraging together
American Goldfinch 10
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S38433108
Don Morgan
Coventry, Ct